Amancio Ortega

In 2011, Brazilian Ministry of Labor inspectors raided factories in São Paulo operated by Inditex subcontractors producing for Zara. What they found met the threshold for "slave labor" under Brazilian law: Bolivian immigrants working 16 to 19 hour shifts in locked premises that doubled as dormitories, paid between 7 and 12 U.S. cents per piece of clothing produced — rates that fell far below any minimum wage standard. The workers were migrants with limited recourse and limited Portuguese. They were living inside the facility. Inditex's response was to sever ties with the implicated subcontractors. The company stated that it compensated affected workers. The response confirmed that Inditex had supply chain responsibility for what occurred — the garments these workers were producing in these conditions were moving into the Zara retail channel. The structure is not unusual for fast fashion. Brands outsource to contractors who outsource again; legal accountability diffuses across the tiers while the margin flows upward to the brand. Brazil's labor laws define forced labor by the conditions, not by formal coercion. The conditions here — debt bondage dynamics, locked premises, sub-subsistence wages, migrant vulnerability — qualified.

• —Brazilian Ministry of Labor raid, São Paulo (2011): contractor facility producing for Zara/Inditex.
• —Workers: Bolivian immigrants; living inside locked premises adjacent to production floor.
• —Pay rate: 7–12 U.S. cents per piece. Shifts: 16–19 hours documented.
• —Brazilian law classification: "slave-like conditions" — the legal threshold under Brazilian labor code.
• —Inditex response: severed ties with implicated subcontractors; stated workers were compensated.
• —Response confirmed Inditex's supply chain relationship with the facility — garments were destined for Zara stores.
• —No criminal charges were filed against Inditex or Amancio Ortega in connection with the violations.

Bravo Tekstil was an Istanbul garment factory that produced approximately 75% of its output for Zara. In July 2016, the factory owner disappeared overnight — taking with him the wages owed to 140 workers for three months of work plus severance pay. The workers were owed approximately €650,000 in total. They had no legal recourse against the missing owner. The brands — Inditex (Zara), Mango, and Next — were the factory's customers. The Clean Clothes Campaign documented the case and organized pressure on the brands. For more than 18 months, the workers received nothing while the brands disputed liability. During that period, workers organized a direct-to-consumer protest: they sewed handwritten notes into Zara garments destined for stores, reading "I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn't get paid for it." Some walked into Zara stores in Istanbul and attached similar tags to merchandise on the racks. The notes reached customers in Europe and North America. The story broke in the international press. Inditex eventually participated in a compensation arrangement. The outcome: 140 workers accepted partial payments — not the full wages owed. The gap was absorbed by the workers. The Clean Clothes Campaign's documentation named Inditex as one of the brands that had accepted merchandise from unpaid labor while contesting financial responsibility for those workers' wages.

• —July 2016: Bravo Tekstil, Istanbul — owner fled overnight with the payroll; 140 workers abandoned.
• —Wages owed: three months of back wages plus severance — approximately €650,000 total.
• —75% of Bravo Tekstil's production was for Zara/Inditex at the time of closure.
• —2017: Workers sewed messages into Zara garments: "I made this item you are going to buy, but I didn't get paid for it."
• —Workers also entered Istanbul Zara stores and attached tags to merchandise on the floor.
• —Clean Clothes Campaign documented the case; tracked Inditex as primary responsible brand.
• —After 18+ months and sustained campaign pressure: 140 workers accepted partial payments.
• —Workers did not receive full back wages and severance; the shortfall was absorbed by the workers.
• —No charges filed against Inditex or Ortega for the wage theft.

In October and November 2023, Bangladeshi garment workers across the industry staged largely peaceful protests demanding upward revision of the minimum wage — the announced rate of 12,500 taka per month (approximately $113) fell well below what workers and labor organizations considered a living wage in the country. The protests were met with police violence. Four workers who were producing garments for international brands including Inditex were killed in the crackdowns: Rasel Howlader, 26. Jalal Uddin, 40. Anjuara Khatun, 23. Imran Hossain, 32. Across the broader garment industry, approximately 30,000 workers faced criminal charges for participating in the protests. The Clean Clothes Campaign documented that in Inditex-specific supply chain factories, approximately 2,900 workers faced criminal charges. Inditex partner factories filed nine criminal cases against workers. The CCC tracker named Inditex as one of the top violators for its link to factories that criminalized workers for wage organizing. Inditex stated it urged factories to withdraw active complaints. The CCC found that Inditex had not confirmed factory compliance with that request and had not demonstrated how it would enforce it. Bangladesh's interim government eventually dropped outstanding charges — but the charges were filed in the first place at the initiative of the factories producing for Inditex. Workers were criminally prosecuted for asking for a living wage.

• —October–November 2023: Bangladesh nationwide garment worker wage protests — peaceful demonstrations for living wage.
• —Four workers killed by police during crackdowns at or near factories in Inditex supply chain.
• —Named workers: Rasel Howlader (26), Jalal Uddin (40), Anjuara Khatun (23), Imran Hossain (32).
• —~2,900 workers in Inditex-linked factories faced criminal charges for wage protest participation.
• —Inditex partner factories: 9 criminal cases filed against workers (CCC tracker).
• —Clean Clothes Campaign named Inditex as a top violator on its Bangladesh crackdown tracker.
• —Inditex stated it urged factories to withdraw complaints; CCC found no confirmed compliance verification.
• —Bangladesh's interim government later dropped outstanding charges — but the prosecutions had already been initiated by factories producing for Inditex.
• —No charges filed against Inditex or Ortega in connection with the deaths or the criminal prosecutions of workers.